First test run held Saturday for Boston-to-Scituate rail

Wednesday

May 23, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 23, 2007 at 11:17 PM

The whistle on the inaugural test train running along the MBTA’s new Greenbush line bellowed a hello as it rolled through Hingham Center Saturday, where bystanders waved and cheered enthusiastically, welcoming the train with calls of “whoo hoo,” as well as camera flashes and homemade signs.

The welcome was particularly telling in Hingham, where residents, like those in Scituate, Cohasset and other communities abutting the new line, have met the incoming Greenbush train with mixed feelings since official plans for the line first surfaced in 1997. But now, 10 years later, the train is officially here, and residents — at least those who turned out to see the train’s maiden voyage on Saturday — appear to have undergone a change of heart.

Ryan Bray

The whistle on the inaugural test train running along the MBTA’s new Greenbush line bellowed a hello as it rolled through Hingham Center Saturday, where bystanders waved and cheered enthusiastically, welcoming the train with calls of “whoo hoo,” as well as camera flashes and homemade signs.

The welcome was particularly telling in Hingham, where residents, like those in Scituate, Cohasset and other communities abutting the new line, have met the incoming Greenbush train with mixed feelings since official plans for the line first surfaced in 1997. But now, 10 years later, the train is officially here, and residents — at least those who turned out to see the train’s maiden voyage on Saturday — appear to have undergone a change of heart.

“It’s about time,” said Walter Keenan, who along with his son Doug came from Norwell to greet the train as it made its first run into Greenbush Station in Scituate. “I’ve been waiting 15 years for this.”

“I can’t wait to head into town and catch a Sox game on it,” Scituate resident Matt Ward added with a laugh.

But what exactly has shifted public sentiment in support of the new line, which received fierce resistance from many South Shore residents over the years concerning a number of issues, including the train’s proximity to abutters’ properties and the complications that increased traffic and the influx of out-of-towners could pose for towns along the line. MBTA officials say people have just come to accept the impending presence of the train in their communities, shifting overall public opinion of the new line from “NIMBY” (not in my back yard) to what they call “YIMBY,” or “Yes In My Back Yard.”

“There might still be people who are against it,” said John Ray, director of railroad operations for the MBTA. “But I think most people are trying to make the best of it.”

“We haven’t received a lot of phone calls or negative feedback about it in general,” said Jim Eng, the MBTA’s project engineer on the Greenbush line.

The Greenbush line is the third in a three-prong process initiated by the MBTA in 1997 to restore service along the Old Colony line. The line was first serviced and operated by the New Haven and Hartford Company before going offline in 1959 after the completion of the Southeast Expressway. The Plymouth and Middleboro lines, the other two lines that make up the revitalization of the Old Colony line, were completed in 1997 as plans for Greenbush were set to get under way.

“It’s exciting,” said Doug Keenan. “[The Old Colony line] should have never been closed.”

Ray said five trains (four double-deckers and one single-floor train) would service the Greenbush line, which will run daily from South Station in Boston down through Weymouth, Hingham, Cohasset and Scituate into Greenbush Station. He said five to six coaches would run with each train, each of which seating anywhere from 96 to 122 passengers in addition to available standing room. At full capacity, Ray said, an estimated 1,000 passengers would be serviced per double-decker train.

The cost per train ride, Ray said, will be $7.75 one-way or $10 for a full-day pass. A flat rate of $2 will be charged for parking at each station. The trains will run daily from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Saturday’s test train crawled along the 28-mile track from Boston into Scituate at 10 mph, stopping at stations in East Weymouth and at the end of the line in Scituate for short observations and measurements from project managers and engineers on board. Test trains will continue to run throughout the summer, eventually reaching normal speeds of 60 to 70 mph as testing continues.

For years, the Greenbush line has existed in people’s minds as a myth, something most everyone along the South Shore was likely aware of but hard to picture and conceptualize. Since breaking ground in 2002, the only visual component has been the detours and construction brought on as the line began to develop and take shape.

But when the final spike was nailed along the track in February, the long-debated line had quickly become a reality. Now, three months later, the trains are up and running, allowing for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place.

“It’s amazing,” said MBTA spokesperson Lydia Rivera. “For us, this is just a real sigh of relief. It just brings everything around full circle.”

Like the Plymouth and Middleboro lines, Rivera said the Greenbush line is another means for the MBTA to reach out and connect communities throughout Massachusetts closer to the city through public transportation. She said as gas prices continue to rise beyond the $3 mark, it’s important to provide commuters traveling from the South Shore with a viable alternative to driving into the city, an option MBTA officials say they’re confident people will take strongly to.

“We have no doubt that these trains are going to be packed,” Ray said.

“We just want to give people that option aside from driving into the city,” Rivera said. “A lot of people live too far away or work flexible hours, and we’re hoping this service will accommodate those types of people. We’re just trying to meet the demands of everyone.”

Construction of the line, which began in 2002, is set to be completed in time for an official grand opening in late summer or early fall. After testing the trains, Ray said MBTA officials would next test traffic signals along the line and have train conductors and engineers familiarize themselves with the line before it opens to the public.

Construction of each of the seven stations along the line is also under way, along with their corresponding parking lots.

Ray said MBTA officials have talked about possibly slating the opening of the line for Sept. 27, a date that would correspond with the 10-year anniversary of the opening of the Plymouth and Middleboro lines. While the September date is by no means definite, Ray said he’s confident that the line will be up and ready to go by August or September.

“I’d say that’s a reasonable timeline,” Ray said.

“We’re very excited,” Rivera said. “This has been a long time coming.”